Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s latest visit to Bhutan — his fourth in 11 years — unfolded against the backdrop of the extraordinary Global Peace Prayer Festival, the largest gathering of its kind in the kingdom. The presence of the Sacred Piprahwa Relics from India lent the occasion a deep spiritual resonance. The visit was equally substantive: Three new memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were concluded, a fifth hydropower project inaugurated, and a ₹4,000-crore line of credit announced to advance Bhutan’s energy ambitions. The proposed rail links between the two countries signal an integration that aims to carry the partnership confidently into the future.

But beneath this, lies another unfolding story — that of a new, aspirational Bhutan led by a dynamic, tech-savvy king, quietly but steadily transforming the nation while keeping its traditional core intact.

At the heart of this transformation are Bhutan’s youth — young, aspirational, and increasingly outward bound. A World Bank report notes a sharp increase in emigration after borders reopened in 2022, with departures via Paro airport rising from less than 500 per month pre-Covid to more than 5,000 per month in early 2023, heavily skewed towards young, educated Bhutanese who were headed mainly to Australia. This is a staggering figure for a nation of just around 700,000 people. The sheer scale and momentum of this trend has turned youth emigration into an existential challenge — one that affects not only the economy, but also Bhutan’s cultural continuity, social fabric, and future leadership pipeline.

Much of the ongoing transformation, from building a modern economy to upgrading infrastructure and human capital, is being driven as a foil to this demographic drift. The message is clear: Let’s give the youth a reason to stay. Initiatives like the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), education reform, and entrepreneurial upskilling are not just development projects, they are national acts of hope and confidence in Bhutanese youth. They aim to transform the country not only physically, but also emotionally by rekindling the belief that one can thrive in Bhutan and not have to leave it behind.

So what are the various initiatives shaping the Bhutan of today?

First, there’s the GMC project. The brainchild of Bhutan’s king, this is an extraordinary undertaking; remarkable both in its promise and its scale. The promise? A city that aims to reverse Bhutan’s brain-drain by building future oriented industries — wellness, education, technology, green energy, and culture — that create meaningful livelihoods at home.........

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